My coworkers and I have a restaurant in town that we like to frequent often. The good and bad news about this restaurant is that they have a gigantic bowl of individually wrapped fortune cookies. This mountainous bowl is in the back of the restaurant where no one actually witnesses how many of these cookies you take. When we place our order at the counter and sit down to wait for our food to arrive, we inevitably munch on a handful, while we wait for our lunch to be brought to our table.
During our last visit, none of us were very enchanted by our fortunes. They seemed highly ambivalent as to whether they could be interpreted positively or negatively. “You will soon take an unplanned trip”. A surprise vacation to Hawaii=good. A necessary visit to the Emergency Room at the community hospital=bad. “An unexpected guest will come to greet you”. Your college roommates showing up for a spontaneous girl’s weekend=good. An IRS agent wanting to know why you forgot to file your tax return=bad. (That actually happened to me, by the way, but that’s for another blog post!) With none of us feeling very certain exactly what these fortunes might mean for us, we began to unwrap cookie after cookie, wanting to read something that sounded exhilarating, exciting, or too good to be true.
This got me thinking. We all want some good fortune, don’t we? We spend so much time looking around, trying to find something that is going to give us some hope that maybe tomorrow will be brighter than today. Some sense of security or something to look forward to…….
Maybe it’s the stock market, your investment portfolio, the scale at the gym, how many followers you’ve amassed on Twitter, your horoscope, something that gives you an inkling that good things are headed your way. In a world that rapidly changes, we strive to find some certainty. And if not certainty, then at least a sign that things are going to move in a positive direction, some good news. What if I told you that God wanted you to know your future? Would you believe me?
God said, “I am the LORD and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said……’seek me in vain’. I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right” (Isaiah 45:18-19).
What if I told you that God already knows every detail about your future? What if I told you that He had a purpose for your existence and He would move heaven and earth to make it come true in your life?
God said, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isaiah 46: 9-10)
What if I told you that there is good news? What if I told you that as surely as the sun will rise up tomorrow it is certain to come to pass? What if I told you that despite every visible thing in front of you denying its veracity, it was indeed true? Would you believe me?
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). That is how God describes heaven.
Are you looking for answers? God says He has them. God says He wants you to know them. And God says He will give them to those who seek Him. Stop munching on fortune cookies and meet the Bread of Life. His Name is Jesus and He holds every answer.
For what are you seeking an answer today? Do you believe God holds the answer and longs to share it with you?
